Meet Andrew Read
Senior Vice President for Research at Penn State
“Penn State is at an inflection point, as is the nation and the world. I am excited to have the opportunity to be a fierce advocate for PSU research during a time of immense change. Our research mission is urgent and vital: knowledge creation, dissemination and implementation will be key determinants of human wellbeing in the rest of this century.”
With a passion for pushing the boundaries of knowledge and making a positive impact in his field, Andrew has dedicated his career to advancing scientific understanding and innovation.
As a member of the President’s Council, Read serves as the principal academic and administrative officer for the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, which advances, facilitates and manages the full breadth of Penn State’s research activities across the institution.
Quick Facts
Has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, 30 book chapters and four edited volumes, and has been elected to fellowships from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Berlin, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, the Royal Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Mobilized researchers from across Penn State to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Spearheaded a rapid-response internal call-for-proposals to address what was then an emerging outbreak, which led to significant investments of external funding to Penn State and to several corporate partnerships to advance technologies to market.
Appointed Senior Vice President for Research in March 2024 and holds the rank of Evan Pugh University Professor of Biology and Entomology and was Eberly Professor of Biotechnology from 2015 to 2024.
Directed Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences from 2019 – 2023. Relaunched the Huck Innovative and Transformative Seed Fund (HITS), which supports, at scale, bold proposals too risky for traditional funders.
Penn State’s Senior Vice President for Research oversees the institutions $1B+ research enterprise including:
17 Academic Colleges
8 Interdisciplinary Research Institutes
Applied Research Lab
Offices of Entrepreneurship, Commercialization, and Industrial Partnerships
Core Research Facilities and Animal Research Labs
Research Support Offices
“Our interdisciplinary institutes provide a unique advantage, facilitating and amplifying collaborations among researchers across colleges and campuses, and fostering excellence in graduate research as well as unparalleled opportunities for our undergraduates.”
Publications
Selected Publications
Divergent Evolutionary Pathways of Myxoma Virus in Australia: Virulence Phenotypes in Susceptible and Partially Resistant Rabbits Indicate Possible Selection for Transmissibility. Journal of Virology, Kerr, Peter J., Cattadori, Isabella M., Sim, Derek, Liu, June, Holmes, Edward C., Read, Andrew F., 2022
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on pharmaceuticals in wastewater treated for beneficial reuse: Two case studies in central Pennsylvania. Journal of Environmental Quality, Hayden, Kathryn, Jones, Matthew, Elkin, Kyle, Shreve, Michael, Clees, William, Clark, Shirley, Mashtare, Michael L., Veith, Tamie, Elliott, Hershel, Watson, J, Silverman, Justin, Richard, Thomas L., Read, Andrew F., Preisendanz, Heather E., 2022
Most-cited Papers
Imperfect vaccination can enhance the transmission of highly virulent pathogens. Andrew F. Read, Susan J. Baigent, Claire Powers, Lydia B. Kgosana, Luke Blackwell, Lorraine P. Smith, David A. Kennedy, Stephen W. Walkden-Brown, Venugopal K. Nair, 2015, PLoS Biology on p. e1002198
The effect of temperature on Anopheles mosquito population dynamics and the potential for malaria transmission. Lindsay M. Beck-Johnson, William A. Nelson, Krijn P. Paaijmans, Andrew F. Read, Matthew B. Thomas, Ottar N. Bjørnstad, 2013, PLoS One
Awards
- Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (elected 2018)
- Penn State President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Integration (2018)
- Fellow The Royal Society (elected 2015)
- Fellow American Academy of Microbiology (elected 2014)
- Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (elected 2012)
- Fellow Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Institute of Advanced Studies) (2006-7)
- Fellow Royal Society of Edinburgh (elected 2003)